Kategorie: News
Anchoring manoeuvre destroys P-38 aircraft wreck
The well-known underwater photographer and conservationist Kurt Amsler has informed us of a very sad story; the famous P-38 wreck – in the bay of Les Lecques – has been completely destroyed.
Kurt writes to us: “Hello friends, we are shocked...
Our ‘local wreck’, the legendary P-38 from the Second World War, has been destroyed!
It was torn to pieces in Les Lecques Bay during the anchoring manoeuvre of the luxury yacht ‘Orient Express’.”
The American fighter aircraft was shot down on 27 January 1944 by the German anti-aircraft battery on the nearby ‘Île Verte’. The pilot, Harry Greenup, managed to make an emergency landing and survived. He fled into the hinterland and later married a French woman.
Kurt continues: “For many years, my friend Marcel Camilleri from the AQUANAUT Diving Centre in Lecques searched for the wreck. On 10 November 1996, it was finally found! That’s when my photography and research began. Thanks to the support of the US Air Force and a P-38 ‘Bomber Group’, this resulted in a spectacular feature that was published worldwide.”
A historic wreck, with a fascinating history and many memories, no longer exists… Destroyed by a careless anchoring manoeuvre by a large luxury yacht. All that remains are Kurt’s photographs and the memories of fantastic dives.
Update 23 July 2026
The Maritime Prefecture for the Mediterranean and the Underwater Archaeology Unit have referred the case to the judicial authorities to investigate the destruction of the historic Second World War aircraft last week in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.